Robert J. Steinmetz, OD

Dr. Robert Steinmetz is the director and co-principal of SoLo Eyecare and Eyewear Gallery in the South Loop. Robert Steinmetz was born and raised in Oak Lawn, and attended high school on the south side of Chicago. He then went on to the University of Notre Dame where he graduated cum laude with a degree in Biological Sciences.

Robert Steinmetz earned his Doctorate of Optometry degree as a cum laude graduate of the Illinois College of Optometry. During his time there, Robert was the recipient of a record number of awards recognizing his academic and clinical excellence and his commitment to community service. Upon graduation, Robert Steinmetz was awarded the Eugene W. Strawn Leadership and Service Award, the American Optometric Association Leadership Award, the Alcon Award for Clinical Excellence, the Elmer and Blanch Piper Memorial Award, and the Vincent Salierno Scholarship. Robert Steinmetz was also a member of the Gold Key International Honor Society and Beta Sigma Kappa Optometric Honor Society.

Robert Steinmetz is the 2006 Illinois Young Optometrist of the Year, a past trustee in the Illinois Optometric Association, a member of the American Optometric Association, a member of the American Academy of Optometry, and a member of the Lions Club. He has been published in the Journal of the American Academy of Optometry and has presented numerous lectures on ocular disease and optometric practice management. Robert Steinmetz is a Clinical Adjunct Preceptor at the Illinois College of Optometry and serves on the advisory board of two major pharmaceutical companies involved in the research and development of anti-allergenic therapy. His clinical interests include anterior segment disease, corneal refractive therapy, and laser vision correction.

Robert Steinmetz’s outside academic interests include paleontology; he has had the opportunity to travel to southeastern China where he and a team of paleontologists unearthed a large bone bed of sauropod dinosaurs including several previously unknown species. Also an avid sports fan, Robert is part owner of the now infamous Bearsmobile, the revamped classic Cadillac hearse now devoted to supporting the Chicago Bears.

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     Allison S. Walz, O.D.

Allison S. Walz was born and raised in North Platte, Nebraska. She then went on to the University of Wyoming where she graduated with a degree in Health Sciences and a minor in Psychology. While at Wyoming, she was on the University's dance team performing at half time of all sporting events.

Dr. Walz received her doctorate of optometry degree from the Illinois College of Optometry in 2009. During her time at the Illinois College of Optometry, Dr. Allison served as the president of the contact lens society, the student liaison for the college of optometrists for vision development, and served as the director of fundraising for the student volunteer optometric services to humanity. In 2008, she went on an optometric mission trip to Honduras where student doctors performed over 5,000 eye examinations for the underserved local population.

Dr. Walz is a member of the Illinois Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association. She currently works full time at Dr. Steinmetz and Associates in Naperville, Illinois and joined our practice as a part time doctor in 2011. Dr. Allison has special interest in pediatrics and bifocal contact lenses.

Outside of the office, Allison enjoys running and golf. She has completed 2 Chicago marathons and several other competitive races.

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      Stephen P. Steinmetz, OD

Stephen Steinmetz is the co-director of Solo Eye Care & Eyewear Gallery and the Director of Stephen Steinmetz and Associates in Naperville, IL. He is a native of the south side of Chicago. Stephen Steinmetz graduated with honors from Western Illinois University and received his Doctorate of Optometry degree from the Illinois College Optometry.

Stephen Steinmetz was voted Illinois Young Optometrist of the Year in 1996 and is the first optometrist in the Midwest to independently own and operate a laser vision correction center.

Stephen Steve is a member of the Illinois Optometric Association, a member of the American Optometric Association, and a member of the Illinois Optometric Association Board of Directors Political Action Committee. He is also a charter member of the Exchange Club for the prevention of child abuse.

Stephen Steinmetz is recognized as a Clinical Adjunct Preceptor at the Illinois college of Optometry and also serves on the advisory board of a major pharmaceutical company and a several large contact lens manufacturers.

Outside of the exam room, Stephen Steinmetz enjoys attending Chicago Bears and Chicago White Sox games as a long time season ticket holder.

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     Vince Brandys, OD

Vince Brandys is a staff optometrist at Solo Eye Care & Eyewear Gallery. He joined the practice in 2009. Vince Brandys was raised on the far southeast side of Chicago (Hegewisch) and graduated from Mount Carmel High School and DePaul University. In 1990, he received his doctorate in optometry from the Illinois College of Optometry and started a private practice in Bartlett, IL in 1993.

Vince Brandys is very involved in his profession; he was elected president of Illinois Optometric Association in 1999. In 2000, the American Optometric Association honored Vince Brandys with its Young Optometrist of the Year award, making him the first Illinois optometrist ever to receive this distinction. In 2004, the IOA named Vince Brandys as the Optometrist of the Year. In 2007, he sold his practice to due to his increased responsibilities as the Director for Governmental Relations of Illinois Eye Institute, the clinical division of the Illinois College of Optometry. In 2008, he received the Professional Achievement Award from ICO’s Alumni Council and he still serves on numerous committees of several optometric organizations.

Vince Brandys has special interest in refractive surgery options as he himself was a Lasik patient in 1999. Specialty contact lenses and dry eye syndrome are two areas of eye care that have been at the forefront of his 20 years experience in optometric practice.

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